Man in critical condition after falling through ice

BENTON COUNTY, Minn. - A Sartell man is in the hospital after falling through thin ice on Little Rock Lake Friday morning.

Just before 11:30 a.m., the Benton County Sheriff's Office received a call that a person had fallen through the ice about 200 yards from shore.

Several law enforcement agencies responded, but by the time rescue units were able to deploy the proper equipment, Joshua Johnson, 30, had gone below the water.

Nearly an hour later, rescue teams located Johnson in about 10 feet of water near the Erdmann's Point area on the east shore of the lake. Johnson was flown to a St. Cloud hospital where he's listed in critical condition.

Investigators determined Johnson had been fishing on the lake. The ice was between one-and-a-half and two inches thick near the shore line. Authorities urge the public to stay off any ice found on local waterways.